Ramblings

Today is the centennial celebration of Andrew Murray's death.
Born May 9, 1828, Andrew Murray was 88 when he died one hundred years ago today on January 18, 1917, just four months before his 89th birthday.
Educated in Scotland, Murray spent the majority of his life in South Africa as a pastor and teacher. He would often make trips to the Keswick Convention (when it was still healthy) to speak on the "deeper life" and proclaim Jesus Christ as …

Far too many of us are marked by topsy-turvy lives—rushing from one appointment to another, feeling that time is short, commitments are growing, and the mantra of “hurry! faster! quick!” yells at us from behind.
Pressures mount. Stress increases. Trouble presses in. Temptations loom.
We feel as if the enemy of our souls is racing after us, inclined to do us harm.
Where is our hope? Where is our refuge? Where do we go in the midst of …

I deeply apologize for those who have been waiting for an update from the Israel trip. Returning home I immediately jumped into getting things caught up from being gone two weeks and then headed straight into a "graduation" from our new semester program. Time has been incredibly limited and thus the lack of posts. Now, a month later, I'm finally getting around to the write up. …

Countdown 3 days.
If you didn't know, I have been given an opportunity of a lifetime.
This past Fall, the Ellerslie Advanced students decided to be a bit crazy, over-the-top, and ridiculous and send me to Israel. A lifelong wish is about to be realized.
I board a plane Friday morning and will head to Israel for thirteen days and walk in the footsteps of Jesus. I can't begin to express how excited I am for this adventure!
My reason for …

This is a delightful season—the end of December is one of my favorites—it is full of laughter, parties, remembrance, and cake!
We celebrate Jesus on December 25, two days later my adorable niece has a birthday (this year she turned 5!), two days after that I get my own birthday cake, another two days brings on our yearly New Years Eve family "wear pajamas and play board games day"!
So if you followed the math above, today is my birthday. …

How many times have you come to a book of the Bible and stopped because wrapping your mind around the context and overarching flow was seemingly too difficult?
You're not alone.
Countless Christians don't study because they can't seem to "get it" or have any idea of what's going on.
Recently I came across a series of short clever animated videos that are not only engaging but also incredibly illuminating. …

As Christians we realize there is an endless frontier before us.
There is always greater depths we can explore in our faith.
And if we were truly honest with ourselves, we'd realize that we haven't arrived, we don't have it all figured out, there are ways we can grow in our understanding of Scripture and intimacy with Jesus Christ.
Let me restate that: we haven't arrived. There is more. Much more!
Many of us would say we need help in …